CAT 2008 — VARC Question 10
Each of the following questions has a sentence with two blanks. Given below each question are five pairs of words. Choose the pair that best completes the sentence.
As navigators, calendar makers, and other_________ of the night sky accumulated evidence to the contrary, ancient astronomers were forced to _________ that certain bodies might move in circles about points, which in turn moved in circles about the earth.
Answer & solution
- A
scrutinizers; believe
- B
observers; agree
- C
scrutinizers; suggest
observers; concede
- E
students; conclude
The first blank can have any of the three words mentioned in the options - ‘scrutinizers’, ‘observers’, ‘students’.
‘Scrutinizer’ means ‘one who examines or observes with great care; inspects critically’.
‘Observer’ means ‘a person who watches, views or notes for a scientific, official, or other special purpose.’
‘Student’ means ‘an individual formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or college; pupil’
Out of these three, the part of the sentence prior to the first blank clearly suggests that the people involved in the exercise were experts in the subject under consideration. This eliminates the possibility of ‘students’ fitting into the first blank, and thus option 5.
The second blank has four possible alternatives.
‘Believe’ means ‘to have confidence in the truth, the existence or the reliability of something’.
‘Agree’ means ‘to have the same views’.
‘Suggest’ means ‘to mention or introduce’.
‘Concede’ means ‘admit; surrender or yield’.
The verb prior to the second blank denotes that the action is not voluntary but performed under duress.
It is not possible to be forced to place confidence in something. Therefore, it is difficult to be forced to ‘believe’ in something. This eliminates option 1.
The first part of the sentence makes it clear that contrary evidence was being gathered. If evidence opposite in nature or character is being gathered then it cannot be said that the ancient astronomers had the same view.
This removes ‘agree’ from further consideration as fitting into the second blank. This eliminates option 2.
The very element of force or compulsion eliminates ‘suggest’ as an appropriate fit for the second blank.
Therefore, option 3 is eliminated.
Both ‘observers’ and ‘concede’ fit in correctly.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.